Better Days
by 0erbayunFang
Summary: (Is scheduled for updates after the prequel is finished, and I'm making it into a full-blown story too, so stick around!) AU, 0-1 AF. Lightning and the others realise PSICOM has them in their clutches once again, so they run to the only remotely-safe area - the nearby forest, where Lightning realises she shouldn't ignore what's been given to her.
1. Wake Up Call

_Better Days_

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><p><em>It was quiet.<em>

_A little too quiet._

_Snow was in the opposite room to mine snoring louder than thunder, I could hear him...But Hope. Where was Hope?_

Maybe in the living room?_ my mind dared to whisper. He sometimes fell asleep there, and I would be the one to wake him and walk him to his room._

_So I check. And find him slumped on the floor. Hope then turned to Vanille, then to Serah, and then to Fang._

_It took all my self-control not to scream._

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><p>My eyes flew open.<p>

I sat up, trying to calm my racing heart. I keep having that same dream, every night. And it never failed to scare the shit out of me. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but nope.

I looked around my room in a vain attempt to calm myself down. The house we were staying in was purely temporary; we move around a lot, to say the least. There are plenty of dangers out there, especially for a renegade Lieutenant/ex l'Cie, so my room is pretty bare, but so is everyone else's. My favourite red cape was slung over my door, and my gunblade was in the corner, exactly where I left it. The only thing in 'my room' that was out of place was the little chocobo chick sitting on the desk beside the door.

Wait. Chocobo chick? I didn't have a chocobo chick.

Sazh.

He was right there. And I, being the distracted, half-asleep idiot that I usually am not, didn't notice him.

Standing where he was, just beside the door-desk, he would've seen me right in the throes of my recurring nightmare, if he was there long enough. Which, by his expression, clearly, he was. Embarrassed, I sat up straighter, meeting his sympathetic brown eyes with my icy cerulean ones, shooting daggers at him.

"Sazh."

He looked at me, if possible, with even more pity than before.

"Come on, Light, we've been through this," he reminded me gently (ugh) as he retrieved the chick, which was chirping happily, enjoying itself immensely as it observed and explored 'my' desk, and placing it carefully into his hair, where it stayed most of the time.

"Yeah, we have." Inward sigh.

"I'm guessing you had another nightmare?" Yes, he was definitely there long enough.

"What do you think? Yeah, I had another nightmare," I grumbled. "What's the time, anyway?" I asked, in an effort to steer the subject away from my subconscious. I most certainly was not going to enlighten him that it was the same freaking nightmare that kept haunting me, which, in turn, would mean telling him of my suspicions about what's going to happen soon...

_Get it together, Farron! _I ordered myself. _You're losing it. Just keep it together, soldier. You can think about that after Sazh leaves. If he leaves._

I was so tense I could hardly move. I could practically feel the air around me solidifying. I forced myself to relax my shoulders, but gave up after a couple of seconds, remembering I was supposed to be receiving a response from Sazh.

Which, apparently, wasn't coming.

I tried again. "Why are you in here, anyway? You should be checking on Dajh, not me."

"I have. And I haven't come in here to check in on you, though you certainly needed it. We have a problem."

That set off my warning bells immediately. I drew myself up straight, the way only a Lieutenant could. "What kind of problem?"

He threw my gunblade holster, which I caught. "I'll give you a moment to get dressed," - which meant 'throw on your cape and gunblade"; I had fallen asleep without bothering to change, and besides, what can I change into? It's not like I planned to take a set of PJ's with me...actually, I didn't plan at all in that particular area back then. I only cared about saving our asses - "while I get the rest of the team up and awake. I'll explain to you when we're all downstairs."

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><p>As soon as I was 'dressed' I practically ran down the steps into the living room without a backward glance. When I entered I saw Hope Estheim, maybe one of the bravest people I have ever met, sitting on the couch, wringing his hands in anticipation. He looked up quickly, tensing when I entered, then relaxed. Obviously he was looking out for Sazh, and, judging by the look on this 15 year old's face, Sazh had been the one to get him up at such a time in the morning.<p>

"Oh, it's you, Light. Do you know what's got Sazh so worried?" Hope asked anxiously. Yep, he had 'checked on' Hope before me.

"Nope, but something tells me we're going to find out soon enough." I sat down on the couch next to him, unsure of what else to say. I've never been good at socializing, never been good with people, the way Serah is. You can look at my younger sister's face and immediately become her friend, saying hardly a word. That's just the way she is. Me? Not so much.

"You all right?" Hope asked anxiously, startling me out of my reverie.

"Oh - yeah, I'm all right, I guess."

"You sure?"

I laughed, despite myself. Only he can make me laugh like that. Not even Serah can make me laugh like I did just then, so...full and cheerful and _natural. _"Yes, Worrywart, I'm fine."

"Ok...good," he replied. He looked so...worried, and scared. The way he looked at me reminded me unwillingly of the dream I had just an hour ago.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, the weirdest look passing over his face, then, blushing the tiniest bit, added, "Not that I want to pry, but - you looked at me weirdly, and I was wondering why -"

"Stop. Slow down." I put a hand over his mouth to stop his rambling. Where my fingertips connected with his lips a shiver passed through me, almost taking me by surprise. From the look on Hope's face, he'd felt it too. He leaned forward the tiniest bit, and I did the same.

"Lightning..." he whispered around my fingers, and we leaned closer...

Suddenly we heard the sound of footfalls on the staircase and we jumped apart and slightly away from each other as the others came thundering down the steps. First was Snow Villiers, who was my sister's fiance. He annoyed me at the best of times, and at the worst...but he's what makes my sister happy, and if that's what she wants, I'll just have to stand him.

_I wish Serah was here, out of her crystal prison and back with us again. _Not the first time I've thought of her, but God knows, I miss her so badly.

Next came Fang, with Vanille close behind. We all knew they liked each other, but I don't think they've figured it out yet, and Snow and Sazh agree with me.

The last people that came down the stairs were Sazh and Dajh; Dajh being half asleep and nestled in Sazh's arms. Sazh put him down on the only spare seat that was left, which was the one right next to me. I stood up and sat on the armrest next to Hope so Dajh would have more room, and Sazh walked to the center of the room, so everyone's attention would be fixed on him.

Sazh cleared his throat and began, "Just a couple of hours ago, I found a footprint in the mud that definitely wasn't one of ours. I investigated, found more tracks, and discovered a camp not far from here, and it looks like a PSICOM camp."

There was an outbreak of yelling as everyone tried to get their voices heard.

"What are those PSICOM bastards doing here?" Snow, being Snow, was the loudest, and the most annoying, in my opinion.

"PSICOM? I thought we got away from them." Vanille was terrified, as was Hope, but he was hiding it better than Vanille. I was proud of him. He had toughened up since I first met him.

"Apparently not," I answered drily, walking to the center of the room and standing next to Sazh.

"What we need is a plan, a better plan than we had before." Fang was cool and confident, but I could see the strain it took to keep her facade together.

"What we need to do," I said, "is get away from these guys. And here's how we're gonna do it. Sazh, did you get a good look at them? Were they sleeping, or were they awake?"

"Only one of them was awake, from memory. I'll check and see if he fell asleep on watch." He left the room, drawing his two guns and loading them as he did so.

"Ok, everyone, we need to get our stuff together and leave _tonight. _If we don't, they could launch a surprise attack. Who knows how long they've been here." I looked at Dajh, who was fully awake now and seemed to understand the situation we were in. Smart kid. "Dajh," I said kindly, "do you think you can pack your daddy's stuff while he's gone?"

He stood up and gave a full-blown salute, clicking his heels together and drawing himself up to his full height. He had only just returned from crystal stasis and was physically still 5 years old. "Yes Ma'am!" he replied. I had to smile at him, just a tiny one. "Good, now get upstairs and pack." He ran up the stairs obediently.

"Ok guys, you know what to do, so do it," I addressed the rest of the group, making sure that my voice didn't wobble, but instead was calm, cold and calculated. Everyone filed up the stairs except Hope, who lingered.

"Light...?"

"I'm sorry, Hope, but now just isn't the time." I tried not to be to cold to him; he didn't need it right now. "We need to get packing and get out of here before PSICOM decides to do us in." PSICOM were the elite soldiers who were specifically trained to keep l'Cie from hurting the human race. They thought we were evil and cruel, and if they did not destroy us, well...all of humankind would be at our mercy. We are actually normal, except for the power to use magic and our increased strength gifted by the fal'Cie. When 'turned', we are given a 'focus', which is actually a hazy picture flashing through our minds at the time of the change. If we don't complete our focus in the limited amount of time given to us, we turn into C'ieth, horrible, mindless monsters devoid of any human emotion or restraint.

I will never let that happen to my adopted family. Ever.

"But..."

"Hope." I turned to face him, meeting his blue eyes with my own. Just looking into his eyes gave me delicate shivers, which I tried to ignore. "We'll discuss whatever you want to talk to me about later, when we're not in immediate danger." I tried to keep my voice calm and cool. "Go upstairs and pack your gear, then we'll go."

He stared deep into my eyes, looking for the truth in my words. Satisfied, he reluctantly obeyed my order and ran upstairs to pack.

I do _not _need this right now.

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><p><strong>AN: There you go, my first ever chapter to my first ever fanfic! Reviews are of course great, just don't be too hard on me if you didn't like it. I also reccomend 'The World Ends With Death', by Envious Sky.**


	2. Ready to go

I can't get her out of my head.

I looked around my room in a daze, thinking of the pink-haired soldier.

Lightning.

Just thinking her name makes me feel dizzy.

I thought about before, when we were interrupted by the rest of the group. What happened between us?

_I shouldn't be thinking about her that way, _I thought, blushing slightly. I turned my attention to packing up.

When I was ready to go, I walked downstairs to find Lightning already there, waiting. She was tapping her foot impatiently, so I avoided eye contact as I walked past her and sat down on the couch to wait for the others. When Lightning was annoyed or angry, you need to let her cool off on her own.

Sazh came through the front door then, and immediately gave Lightning the heads-up about PSICOM.

"They're all asleep, but they're restless. I suggest we move fast and cover our tracks."

"Noted," Light replied with a nod. "Hope's waiting in the living room, and the rest are still upstairs."

"Dajh?" Sazh inquired.

"Packing your stuff up, like I told him to. You can go upstairs and help him."

He nodded and obeyed, walking up the stairs to his room.

Lightning came into the room then, and sat on the couch next to me, tapping her foot again as we waited.

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><p>Finally Snow came downstairs, followed by Vanille and Fang.<p>

"Where's Sazh?" Lightning asked.

"Right here." We all looked to the staircase, where Sazh stood, holding Dajh in piggyback position.

"All right, everyone's here. Let's go." Lightning led the way outside into the night, I was right behind her. Then came Sazh, with Dajh on his back, then Vanille. Fang brought up the rear, covering our backs. I felt like we were being followed, and it creeped me out a little. I shifted a little closer to Lightning, who had stopped. I could see that she had the same feeling I did.

The feeling did not lessen.

"Don't move," she whispered. Her hand closed over my shoulder, and I ignored the flush that crept up my cheeks.

"What-?" I tried to ask, but her hand moved from my shoulder to my mouth, stopping me from speaking.

"When I say run, you run. No doubling back, no acting like Snow. Got it?"

I nodded, cold chills running down my neck, telling me someone was watching. Or some_thing?_

3 Huntresses flew out of the darkness, knives glinting in the moonlight. Lightning flew just as fast, reaching for her gunblade and launching one of them into the air. I felt it when she hit the ground again. Hard.

One of the Huntresses ran toward me, and I reached for my boomerang -

"Hope! RUN!" Lightning shouted as she finished off her Huntress and ran towards me. I threw my boomerang and it hit the Huntress running toward me. It hit her in the head, and she paused, momentarily caught off guard. Lightning finished her off with a blitz.

"Didn't you hear me?" Lightning asked, none too politely as she yanked me out of the fight and pushed me forward.

"I'm not leaving! Not without you and the others!" I yelled back, trying hard to stand my ground.

She groaned and said, "Fine, but don't blame me if you get hurt or killed."

"Ok, fine." I took the time to look for the others. Fang and Snow were taking on a Raider and 2 other Huntresses. Vanille was out of the battle somewhat, curing anyone who needed it. Sazh and Dajh were nowhere to be seen. That worried me a little. Not for long, though, as the third original Huntress ran toward us. I threw a _ruinga _spell at her and Lightning finished the job.

"Good job." Lightning hardly ever praised anyone. This was a first for me, and I blushed.

"T-thanks. No p-problem, Light."

Fang and Snow had finished up with their enemies already, and came to join us.

"Everyone all right?" Snow asked.

"Yeah, we're fine." Vanille stepped over a Huntress body, gagging a little as she did so, and joined us as well.

"Ha. Too easy. Hardly worth the effort," Fang laughed in her Oerban accent.

"Um, where's Sazh and Dajh?" I asked Vanille.

"I, uh, don't know...they were here when the Huntresses jumped you. Maybe they ran."

"Shit," Lightning swore. "We need to find them and a place to stay for the time being. I'll look for Sazh and Dajh. Hope, you're with me. Fang, Vanille, Snow, you find us a place to camp. We'll contact each other and meet up when we find Sazh."

"No problem." Snow looked and sounded too confident.

"Ok, people, we need to _move_! Let's go!" Lightning ordered.

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><p>As soon as the others were out of sight, Lightning grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look into her icy cerulean eyes. She looked kind of scary.<p>

"What the hell did you think you were doing! You said you would run if I gave the word!" Her anger was a sight to behold.

I swallowed. "I wasn't going without you."

She groaned. "Next time I give an order like that, you do it. No buts, just do it. Swear."

"Ok, fine, I swear."

"Good. Now let's go." She let go of my shoulders and stepped forward toward the forest. I followed closely, trying hard not to think about how it felt when she held my shoulders -

_Don't think about her that way! She's older, stronger and tougher. And besides, she doesn't feel that way about you anyway._

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><p><em><strong>Ok, I know some of you might be just a little bit confused, so I'll explain, as I should've in the first chapter: this story ignores the fact that Dajh is supposed to be crystal, it's somewhat AU, but not completely.<strong>_

_**As always, reviews are great, just don't be too hard on me, it's my first go at a fanfic.**_

_**I know the chapter's a bit short, so i'll try and make the next one longer. I'll try to update weekly, but I've got 2 assignments to do as well, so don't hold your breath. Plus, my computer kind of failed on me, it won't let me log on, so I'm using Dad's. He's not too happy about that :/**_


	3. Missing

**Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is owned by Square Enix (anyone wanna be my partner in crime and help me steal it?)**

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><p>I led Hope through the bushes in silence. Somewhere, we heard a bird tweet its merry greetings.<p>

"Merry greetings, ha!" I said under my breath.

"Huh?" Hope snapped out of his trance and looked up at me.

"Nothing, Hope." The kid has damn good ears. He's also damn good with that boomerang. Wonder what else he's good at...

_No, Light. Don't go there! _I couldn't believe I was thinking about Hope - Hope! - in a romantic way. He was 15! I'm going to have to be careful when I'm around him.

A twig snapped somewhere nearby, making Hope jump.

"Don't worry, just a twig."

He nodded and relaxed, giving me a moment to think, not about Hope, but about the beating I would have to give Sazh. Why the hell did he run? He could've handled PSICOM on his own, I was sure. Maybe to protect Dajh?

Add that to the list of questions I'm gonna ask - AFTER I hit him. Sigh. What a waste of time.

My thoughts then wandered to Serah. _What do I do, Serah? I think I love a boy 7 years younger than me, and Sazh has gone missing along with Dajh. What the hell am I gonna do?_

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><p>"Oh, my god, what if they were kidnapped while we were fighting?" Oerba Dia Vanille sobbed. She was so worried, Fang had to put a comforting arm around her shoulders.<p>

"Hey. Look at me." She did, reluctantly, Fang could see. "They're gonna be fine. At worst, Sazh will have a black eye, courtesy of a certain pink-haired soldier. Don't you worry."

"Oh, you're right. I'm being silly, aren't I?" Vanille was startled momentarily by just how _close _Fang seemed to be. She always thought of Fang as an older sister, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Hey Fang, Vanille, you ok?" Snow called.

Fang sighed, pulling Vanille up out of kneeling position. "Come on Vanille, let's go."

Vanille followed Fang as she ran after Snow, who had a transmitter stuck in his ear, talking to...someone.

_"Yeah, we've run into a little bit of trouble. Scratch that, a whole lot of trouble..." _a very familiar voice emanated from the device.

"Sazh! Sis and Hope are out looking for you! You need to communicate with them pronto!"

_"You think I haven't tried? Light's transmitter is either out of range or she's in a lot of trouble right now." _Sazh sounded stressed.

"Shit."

_"Yeah, exactly."_

"Oh, crap. Fang, did you hear what I just did?" Vanille was panicky again, making Fang the slightest bit nervous.

"Yeah, I did. We need to find them."

"But what about Snow?"

"Screw Snow, he can take care of himself. Plus, he's in contact with Sazh. He'll do just fine." Fang pulled a transmitter from her pocket and started walking.

Vanille followed.

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><p>"Damn it!" I yelled. "I can't reach Snow or Sazh!"<p>

Hope, being Hope, tried to calm me down.

"Hey, it's ok, Light." He grabbed a hold of my shoulders and spun me around to face him. His blue eyes gazed into mine, and when he was this close, I could see that they were flecked with green.

I felt tingles start from where he touched me, and they travelled all over my skin, making me shiver. He shivered too, so I guessed that he was having the same reaction as me.

"Light..." Hope looked so confused. "What's happening to me?"

Good question. "I don't know."

He leaned forward, ever so slightly. Why was I letting this happen? Worse still, why did I not have the strength to stop this from happening?

_Because you want this too,_ my mind whispered to me. I could feel his warm breath on my lips, he was so close.

"We need to find Sazh and Dajh," Those words, thankfully, broke the spell. I pulled away, head spinning, before I heard a rustle in the bushes, making Hope jump and my hand reached for my gunblade without thinking. Thankfully, it was just Fang, with Vanille in tow.

"Hallelujah, we found you!" Vanille ran over to Hope and picked him up in a hug, making me slightly jealous for no good reason.

"Knew you were around here somewhere." Fang was, as ever, cool and collected, though her face showed signs of relief.

"Found Sazh yet?" Oh, if they had, he was in for it...

"No, not yet. But Snow was communicating with him when we left," Fang answered.

"Well, let's get back before he notices your absence."

"Ummm..." Vanille looked over at Fang. "Do you know where to go?"

"Course I do. You forget, I'm one of the best trackers in the Yun clan." Fang drew herself up to her fullest height.

"Modest, as always, Fang," I remarked with the slightest hint of a smile on my lips. Hope rolled his eyes and Vanille practically skipped over and grabbed her arm.

"Well, come on, we need to go!" She had a point. Who knows what trouble Snow could get into on his own? Knowing him, the answer is a lot. And I did know him.

"Ok, guys, let's go before Snow gets himself into trouble. Fang, since you were able to find your way here, you can lead."

"Great. After you, Vanille."

"Yay!" Vanille skipped into the bushes, leading Fang by the arm.

"Let's go, Light. We don't want to lose them." Hope walked over to me and grabbed my arm, steering me after Fang and Vanille. After a time, I pulled my arm back, ignoring how his hand sliding over my arm made me shiver. Again. What the hell was I gonna do about him?

I shoved the thought to the back of my mind. I would deal with it later. For now, I would concentrate on keeping my friends safe and saving my sister.

Of course I would.

I had to.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry guys, this chapter is short, but I will try to draw them out as much as I can...this chapter is not one of my best, so of course reviews are greatly appreciated.**

**Tell me if I got the characters right. I imagined Fang to be a happier version of Lightning, able to crack a couple of jokes every once in a while, and I always picture Vanille as a hypo version of me. (Sam, Layla, you'll know what I'm talking about, LOL)**


	4. Lost and Found

**A/U: hello again to all the silent readers! Something tells me you will enjoy this chapter, and the next one, so...enjoy! Also, this chapter splits between Light's POV and Hopes POV. Don't blame me, their heads are a nice place to work in :)**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own FF yet...we need a new plan! All I need is a plane, spy tec stuff, and ninja monkeys (insert evil laugh here)**

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><p><em>Hope<em>

As Vanille and Fang led us into the trees I couldn't help but sneak a peek behind me. Light was, as ever, stoic and aloof, but when I looked at her, she gave me an encouraging smile. I slowed down enough that I was walking beside her, but still keeping an eye on Vanille and Fang.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Her voice matched her posture – stoic and aloof – but the fact that she cared enough to ask was nice.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good." She then ruffled my hair playfully before saying, "Because you looked a little funny when Vanille grabbed your arm earlier." Her tone was light, teasing.

Hold on. Light was teasing me? She never teased anyone. She never really joked around in general.

A little unsettling, but I could get used to this.

"Ha, ha. Why ask? Are you -" I looked at her "-jealous?"

"Uh, no. I was just checking."

"Ok, good."

"Hey! You guys alright back there?" Fang's voice echoed through the woods back to us.

"Yeah, we're fine!" Light called back.

"Well, hurry up! I found something!"

That made both of us pick up the pace. What did she find?

That question was answered when we found her crouching down in the brush, looking at – I did a double-take – a footprint?

"Whose footprint?" Light asked. Her eyes were focused entirely on the footprint. "Looks pretty deep."

She was right. You could see every detail of it in the mud.

"Either the person is really fat, or it's Sazh," Vanille said.

We all turned to look at her. I'm pretty sure we all had the same look on our faces – questioning her sanity. She grinned.

"Oh, come on! Think about it. Sazh would probably have Dajh on his back, because he'd be pretty tired about now..."

"Making his footprints deeper because of the extra weight." Light's expression was a mixture of pride and surprise. I'm pretty sure I was grinning from ear to ear.

"Exactly!" Vanille was happier than usual. She squealed as Fang swooped her up into a hug and spun her around.

"Awesome!" Pride and joy made Fang's Oerban accent more pronounced. "Now all we need to do is follow the footprints and find them."

I wasn't so sure it would be that simple, and by the look on Light's face, she thought the same, but I just shrugged and let them have their moment.

Yeah. They definitely like each other.

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><p><em>Lightning<em>

When I saw the footprint, I was pretty glad. Looks like I won't need to wait long before I can punch Sazh's lights out. But when I saw Fang hugging Vanille, well...I was even happier.

_Looks like they do like each other, _I thought. I smiled to myself as I let them have their moment.

I looked over at Hope. He was looking at them with a smile on his face. His gaze then shifted to me, and our eyes locked. The way he looked at me was the same as before, in the clearing. The look that said I was the only thing he cared about. I was tingling all over by the time I broke my gaze and looked down at the footprint. The smile faded from my face as I thought about it. It was pretty lucky that we found it. I was beginning to get suspicious. What if it was a trap?

What if...?

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><p><em>Hope<em>

When Fang an Vanille broke away from the Longest Hug in History, we finally decided to follow Sazh's footprints. It was a surprisingly slow process. We had to look so closely at the ground, we were pretty much on our hands and knees most of the time. It was annoying. Light, especially, was frustrated, I could tell by the look on her face. Probably thinking about how much she wants to punch Sazh. None of us spoke for a long time. Then Fang's earpiece began to make static noises. Fang pressed it, and Snow's voice could be heard throughout the group.

"FANG!" He roared. "Why didn't you tell me where you were going!"

We were all still. No movements except breathing. I gotta say, hearing just how angry Snow was, I was torn between a weird desire to laugh, and a saner desire to run and hide, tail between my legs. And, looking at Vanille, I could tell I wasn't the only one. She had a look of horror, shock and fear on her face.

"Uh..." Fang was rendered momentarily speechless. But then she recovered. "Why didn't you figure it out sooner? You tell me why the fuck I shouldn't have! We all know you aren't exactly the stealthiest person alive, and that's putting it mildly! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have! Go on! You aren't exactly my _father, _now are you?" Fang's voice dripped with sarcasm at the word _father._

"You know what...?"

While Snow and Fang had it out, the rest of us waited for the worst of it to be over. It took a surprisingly long time. Finally, Lightning stepped in, taking the earpiece from Fang, since hers wasn't working.

"You know this isn't exactly the best time." Light's voice was soft, calm and menacing all at the same time. "We are in the middle of a forest, with PSICOM hot on our heels, and you have a go at Fang because she left you behind? I would've done the same thing." She smirked. "Now, tell me where you are and whether you've found someplace to sleep."

This time, Snow took a turn at being speechless. He obviously didn't expect Lightning to steal Fang's earpiece and take over. He soon recovered and told them he had, in fact, found somewhere to sleep. Light, in turn, told him what they'd found and suspected. When their conversation ended, Light simply, wordlessly, gave Fang her earpiece back and started following Sazh's footprints again. We all stared at her. Fang's mouth had gaped wide open. When Light turned around again, realising nobody had followed her, she spotted our stares.

"What?"

Fang's mouth closed. I stepped forward. "You guys coming?"

Vanille skipped forward, dragging Fang by the arm. "Come on, Fang! You're up front."

I looked at Lightning. She just shook her head, a smile ghosting her lips, and motioned for me to go first. I shook my head and said, "No, ladies first," with a smile on my face.

She just shrugged and followed Vanille.

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><p><em>Lightning<em>

The hunt for Sazh was on again. Finally. While we searched the muddy ground, my mind wandered.

Fang was going to punch Snow when we eventually meet up. I smiled at the thought. For once, it wouldn't be me getting my hands dirty.

My thoughts then wandered to Hope. I couldn't seem to control my thoughts lately. They always wandered to him.

_Oh, Serah, if only you were here,_ I thought. Then again, if she _was_ here, then I wouldn't have met Vanille, Fang, Sazh or Hope.

"Oi! I found him!" Fang's loud voice snapped me out of my reverie. We had all spread out looking for Sazh and Dajh. I yawned, Fang's words not quite sinking in. Then it clicked.

She had found him. The search was over. _We'd finally found him._

My head snapped up and I ran over to where Fang was. And, sure enough, there was Sazh, sitting against a tree trunk, holding Dajh, who was fast asleep. Sazh stood up as Hope, who was right behind me, ran forward.

"Here, I'll hold Dajh," he offered.

Sazh smiled down at Hope, said "Thanks, kid," and gave Dajh to Hope, who, wisely, walked a safe distance away from me.

Giving me the opening I needed.

I can safely say that Sazh's right eye will never be the same again.

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><p><strong>AU: Hope (no pun intended) you enjoyed this delightful (that's for you, Layla) little chapter I cooked up just for you ;)**

**Reviews are very much appreciated. Good morning/day/night/whatever.**


	5. Fights and Revelations

**hi all, and welcome to my fifth chapter of Better Days! I dodn't know if I should continue this story or leave it here, since I haven't got as many reviews as I would like...oh well...**

**Disclaimer: nope, still don't own it. maybe asking politely and spiking their cookies with chlorophorm will help? what do you say?**

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><p><em>Lightning<em>

I was glad I waited. Punching Sazh felt pretty damn good. I can comfortably say his right eye will be a definite reminder to keep in touch with us all next time he ran, not just Snow. But what I had forgotten was that now I would have to sit through his explanation. I was pretty sure it would be about Dajh.

But first we have to get to camp, where 'it' was waiting. Snow.

I wasn't worried about that, though. What I was worried about was trying to keep my thoughts away from Hope, who was right beside me. Fang was leading, with Vanille on her arm. Sazh was wisely staying far out of reach of my fists and Dajh was still giggling that his Daddy got punched by a girl. Hope was chatting with Dajh, trying to draw attention away from his father's black eye, I thought, but they were occasionally looking over at him with grins on their faces. When they looked over at me, their grins, especially Hope's, grew wider. Much wider.

I fought the urge to glare at them.

"Finally!"

I was jolted out of my train of thought by Snow, who was setting up camp. Only then did I realise that we'd actually made it back safely. Well, semi-safely. I looked over at Sazh, smirking. As soon as she saw him, Fang walked up to Snow, balled up her fist, pulled it back, and let it snap forward with as much power as she was capable. That fist made its mark. Hard.

Smack!

Fang watched with emotionless eyes as Snow staggered backward, clutching his now broken and bleeding nose. I, however, was impressed by just how much force she was capable of when she wanted to. Hope had averted his eyes as it happened, covering Dajh's eyes as he did so, but the tenacious little kid pulled Hope's hand away from his face, grinning.

"Haha, now Snow's been punched by a girl!"

"Why are the women I hang out with all crazy?" he grumbled as he popped his still bleeding nose back into place.

Too bad I was going to break it again.

Blind rage overtook me, controlling my actions as I walked over to where he stood and punched him, breaking his nose again.

"What about Serah, huh? You better not think she's crazy as well, 'cause if you do…" I let the threat hang there, rage slowly building again.

"What? Of course not!" Snow denied. "Why would I think she's crazy? It's you two that're crazy!" He pointed, first at me, then Fang.

He really should've shut his mouth.

Fang and I both advanced on him. "Together?" she asked.

"Yep," I replied grimly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down, there!" Snow tried to stop us, but to no avail as we both continued toward him.

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><p><em>Hope<em>

Lightning and Fang beat the living daylights out of Snow. Under any other circumstances it would've been funny, but now? It was kind of scary, seeing Light that way. Dajh and I collectively cringed at every blow they struck, and when they had finished, Snow was a heavily muscled, swelling, bruised and generally worn out version of himself. Not so pretty, to be honest. In order to avoid upsetting Light, I didn't move forward to help Snow. Just as well, because Vanille did it for me.

"Cura," she murmured. Green light flitted from her hands and surrounded him as his bruising cleared and his swelling subsided. His blood now looked like it had no source as it trickled in slow droplets down his chin and onto his grey coat.

After that, you'd think he'd know not to pick a fight with Fang or Light. He's never been much of a learner, though.

What made the whole thing funny to me was when Fang and Light high-fived each other. Dajh was howling with laughter by now, and when he finally caught his breath, he ran up to Snow and said "You just got beat up by girls," quietly, seriously and as calm as if he was talking about the weather. That made us all laugh, Fang included. Light just smiled, and Snow ruffled the little kid's hair and said, "I got used to it a while ago, buddy. Soon enough you will too."

Light just rolled her eyes at that.

_Lightning_

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><p>Dusk was fast approaching. Soon it would be nightfall.<p>

I volunteered for first watch. It would give me time to think. At least, that's what I thought.

After I left, I heard Hope excuse himself and follow me to a conveniently placed rock that was far enough away that we couldn't be heard but that I could still keep an eye out by the light of the campfire. I sat down, and he sat next to me. There was silence except for the chatter I could hear coming from around the campfire, but it wasn't awkward, as it was before. Instead I felt calm, in control and completely safe, like nothing bad would touch my life again. Of course, that was ridiculous. We were in Oerba, where monsters lay in wait at every turn. But for now, the feeling was too good to ignore. I hadn't felt this way since my parents were still alive, and I could hardly remember that time, since I blocked it out so much. To feel all of this when Hope was around was simply weird and a very new experience for me.

When I first met him, he was…well, not annoying exactly, but weak. I can honestly say that I was considering leaving him behind in the Vile Peaks, where he had started to follow me. Before that, I tried to avoid him as much as possible, because he reminded me too much of me. He too had lost his mother, but he was burning with revenge and hate for the man that had left her to die. It was hard to be around someone, even look at them, when they were essentially your mirror.

That all changed when he sai that operation 'Nora' was over and gave me the knife I had given him. I couldn't stop myself from hugging him. I had promised him that I would look out for him thereon out, and he said he would do the same for me. He was now stronger, has much more stamina, and is a much better medic than I am. I'm more of a Commander than a medic.

When he made that promise to me, I thought it would be a promise that he wouldn't be able to keep. However he has proved me wrong since then, simply because of how much stronger, wiser and generally more mature he was now than when we started. I had been giving him tips and pieces of advice along the way too, and given him some training sessions. And now he's a tougher, stronger, smarter Hope. I no longer saw him as a kid. No, I saw him as a mature, strong young man.

A young man I that I have come to like. He's the only one I allow to call me 'Light' instead of 'Lightning'. And only Serah ever called me 'Claire', my birth name. hope broke that strange, calm silence first.

"Are you all right? You've been really quiet."

I looked at him, and our eyes locked for the third time since we left. His emerald eyes showed worry, concern and a third emotion I couldn't quite name and wasn't familiar with. If I didn't know better, I would say it was love, but what kind of love? The love a brother has for a sister, or something more? And I did know better, right?

He blushed slightly, as if in response to my thoughts. "I don't want to intrude, I just – you looked a little weird."

"No, no, I'm fine, just, um, thinking."

"Do I know what you're thinking about?" His tone was teasing.

I laughed. For some strange reason, only he can make me laugh. "Probably not. Any reason why you asked?"

"No reason. Just wanted to check." I didn't hear any lies in his voice or see them in his eyes, so he seemed to generally be worried about me. That's the beauty of honest people; you know when you're being lied to. He made me feel cared for. And that has never happened before, until now.

I didn't realise his hand was on my shoulder all this time, but I could certainly feel it now. All I had to do was reach over and touch it, but he beat me to it, his hand sliding down my arm and onto my hand, giving me shivers, and entwining his fingers in mine. I didn't know if I should pull away or not. My mind was frozen. I couldn't move or think.

'_Just let him love you,' _a voice in my head advised me. That voice sounded suspiciously like Serah.

'_Yes! Didja miss me? Now, to business. It's time you were happy, and if he makes you happy then pursue him! You only know I want what's best for you, and I can see that he's what's best for you! I've been watching you over the past 30-something hours since you've been on the run, and I could see how you reacted to him.'_

_How did you-what? _ I managed to think back.

'_Never mind that now! Just listen to me when I say that you deserve to be happy. Oh, and if you and Fang gang up on my Fiancée again, I swear to Eden, Claire, I will kill you.'_

_Noted, _I 'voice' was loud enough that it completely silenced all of my doubts and 'what if' questions previously whirling in my head, yet Hope didn't seem to hear or sense anything out of the ordinary, except the current situation. How strange. He looked down at our hands in disbelief. "I didn't think you would let me do that."

"I thought it was time to stop avoiding your feelings, and mine," I replied.

"You knew? After all this time, you knew of my feelings for you?" He blushed even more.

My gaze was steady when I looked at him. "When you looked at me just now, yeah, I knew."

His green eyes flicked from our entwined hands to me. He seemed to be in shock, letting me continue. "I won't be able to really admit how I feel for a while, and when this is all over, we won't be able to…be together, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I understand. But I'm curious, what convinced you? Before, you tried to avoid even looking at me the wrong way."

I waited until his eyes met mine again before I spoke. "If I told you, you probably wouldn't believe me."

He smiled slightly. "You'd be surprised. Do you trust me?"

I nodded.

"Then why can't you believe _me_? Surely you know I'd believe you."

"Tch. Alright, Serah convinced me."

"Serah? But she's supposed to be trapped in crystal, enduring the eternal sleep."

I shook my head, smiling. "so did I, but I definitely heard her. Before you took my hand. She said she wanted me to be happy, and that if you're the one that makes me happy, then I should pursue those feelings." I looked down and away, knowing full well I was blushing scarlet. He probably was too.

There was a pause, and then, "I make you happy?" He sounded joyful, but I could tell he was trying to control his emotions. It made me feel better than I had in a while. Eventually, he was calm again.

"I…I think so," I replied.

He took my other hand, gathering it in his, and in that moment I could think that, for the time being, things really would turn out fine.

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><p><strong>AU: now, to business. so you think i should continue the story or leave it here? your reviews will decide! please review! i'm desperate!**


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